The end of December already?
I can't quite believe that today is 31st December, how come the year speeded up so quickly? I think having a late holiday has foxed this old bird. I'm sorry to say that Christmas is not my favourite time of year, it always seems such a rush, a collective panic before the 'big day' that really just makes me want to hide. Can we all calm down a little over this Christmas thing? I actually quite look forward to January. I'll have had a little rest from work, everyone is a little quieter and the days start getting longer too.
Time off work has allowed a little experimentation in the kitchen, trialling a number of different versions of mince pies working with a variety of flours. This was the most successful recipe and the resulting pies proved perfect with a late morning coffee and early afternoon mulled wine. The pastry is very fragile and quite difficult to work with but makes a wonderful crunchy light base, just allow them to cool properly before removing from the tin. I first used spelt flour but had better results using khorasan, although you can also use normal plain flour too.
Frangipane, clementine & cranberry mince pies with spiced almond pastry
125g KamutⓇ khorasan flour
50g ground almonds
75g chilled butter, unsalted, cubed
25g golden icing sugar
2 tsp mixed spice*
1 egg yolk
200g mincemeat (about half a jar)
1 clementine, peeled and chopped into small pieces
50g dried cranberries
1 tsp mixed spice*
1 tbsp brandy (or other spirit), optional
50g white marzipan, grated
Place the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and mixed spice in a bowl, add the cubed butter and work together using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and knead together until you have a firm dough (add a drop of cold water if it is a little stiff). Form into a flattened ball, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180℃ and mix together the mincemeat, chopped clementine, dried cranberries, mixed spice and brandy, if using. Roll out the pastry to 5mm thick (you will need to gather the scraps and roll it out several times but there should be enough for 12 mince pies) and cut using a fluted cutter into rounds slightly bigger than the holes in your muffin tin (which you don't need to grease or line). Ease the pastry into the muffin tin very carefully, if it cracks just use some pastry scraps for a little repair work. Chill the pastry in the tin for about 15 minutes.
Spoon in the mincemeat mixture into the pastry shells, scatter over the grated marzipan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are golden and the marzipan topping looks a little toasted. Leave to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack.
* I used the Signature Spice from Waitrose, which I have slightly fallen in love with. It's a wonderful combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, star anise, black pepper, cloves and tangerine oil. It smells just like Christmas should smell and conjures up images of three exotic kings following a star in the East, snap it up whilst you still can.
I've had a few glasses of my quince liqueur, posted back in October and can happily say that it is a success! It's delicate, floral, dry and very fragrant and bizarrely is not unlike a really good dry pale sherry (although with a stronger kick). I'll definitely be making more of this next year and in greater quantities. Luckily there is plenty left for the darker days of January, Happy New Year to you all! x
Time off work has allowed a little experimentation in the kitchen, trialling a number of different versions of mince pies working with a variety of flours. This was the most successful recipe and the resulting pies proved perfect with a late morning coffee and early afternoon mulled wine. The pastry is very fragile and quite difficult to work with but makes a wonderful crunchy light base, just allow them to cool properly before removing from the tin. I first used spelt flour but had better results using khorasan, although you can also use normal plain flour too.
Frangipane, clementine & cranberry mince pies with spiced almond pastry
125g KamutⓇ khorasan flour
50g ground almonds
75g chilled butter, unsalted, cubed
25g golden icing sugar
2 tsp mixed spice*
1 egg yolk
200g mincemeat (about half a jar)
1 clementine, peeled and chopped into small pieces
50g dried cranberries
1 tsp mixed spice*
1 tbsp brandy (or other spirit), optional
50g white marzipan, grated
Place the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and mixed spice in a bowl, add the cubed butter and work together using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and knead together until you have a firm dough (add a drop of cold water if it is a little stiff). Form into a flattened ball, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180℃ and mix together the mincemeat, chopped clementine, dried cranberries, mixed spice and brandy, if using. Roll out the pastry to 5mm thick (you will need to gather the scraps and roll it out several times but there should be enough for 12 mince pies) and cut using a fluted cutter into rounds slightly bigger than the holes in your muffin tin (which you don't need to grease or line). Ease the pastry into the muffin tin very carefully, if it cracks just use some pastry scraps for a little repair work. Chill the pastry in the tin for about 15 minutes.
Spoon in the mincemeat mixture into the pastry shells, scatter over the grated marzipan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are golden and the marzipan topping looks a little toasted. Leave to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack.
* I used the Signature Spice from Waitrose, which I have slightly fallen in love with. It's a wonderful combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, star anise, black pepper, cloves and tangerine oil. It smells just like Christmas should smell and conjures up images of three exotic kings following a star in the East, snap it up whilst you still can.
I've had a few glasses of my quince liqueur, posted back in October and can happily say that it is a success! It's delicate, floral, dry and very fragrant and bizarrely is not unlike a really good dry pale sherry (although with a stronger kick). I'll definitely be making more of this next year and in greater quantities. Luckily there is plenty left for the darker days of January, Happy New Year to you all! x
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